African Raptor Leadership Research Grant

The African Raptor Leadership Research Grant aims to forward conservation of African raptors by increasing the number of raptor champions in Africa by 30% over the next 10 years through education and mentorship opportunities for residents of African countries. This program provides financial support to new MSc or Honours students to cover costs associated with their research projects at one of three designated African institutions: A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) in Nigeria, University of Cape Town's FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, or Mohammed V University Rabat. The research must be primarily focused on African raptors or related threats including belief-based use, illegal trade, poisoning, persecution, habitat loss, electrocution, or collision with wind turbines. The grant supports students conducting research in their home countries while building local capacity through mentorship. Each student awardee will have both a university advisor and a local in-country mentor when possible, with the mentor also eligible for financial support to enable training and networking. The program addresses the alarming decline in Africa's raptor populations and the profound lack of knowledge and local capacity to study, monitor, or address threats to raptors throughout much of the continent.